Jacksonville ISD one of Top Bidders to Buy Majority of Lon Morris College Assets

The auction of Lon Morris College property has been completed with major purchases by the Jacksonville Independent School District and office supply company 11 x 17 Inc. The winning bids for the multi-day auction totaled nearly $2.2 million.

Jacksonville ISD agreed to purchase the Wilson Administration Building, in addition to the Lon Morris College gymnasium, swimming pool and athletic fields. Jacksonville-based office supplier 11 x 17 agreed to purchase most of the school’s academic buildings, Memorial Chapel and student residences. The list of all winning bidders and the individual properties are detailed in a filing submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler on Jan. 22, 2013.

Lon Morris College, Texas’ oldest junior college, filed for bankruptcy protection last summer. Dawn Ragan of Bridgepoint Consulting in Dallas is the chief restructuring officer for the school’s bankruptcy estate, which is represented by Houston attorney Hugh Ray III and other lawyers from the Texas offices of McKool Smith.

“The unique circumstances of the Lon Morris College bankruptcy required a non-traditional process that called for a lot of flexibility and patience, and we’re glad that those efforts resulted in a successful sale,” said Stephen Karbelk of Oklahoma-based AmeriBid, the auction company retained to market the properties and conduct the auction.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to pay creditors and the school's former employees, according to Ms. Ragan.

“A great deal of work was done with the creditors, employees, prospective buyers and many others, and it’s good to see a positive outcome,” Ms. Ragan said.